Friday, July 23, 2010

Fatten Up

Odds are that you own some knit ties already. Odds are that those very knit ties are also 2" wide. I'm in the same boat and there's nothing wrong with that. But let me implore you to add a wide knit tie to your arsenal. It's a decidedly less "hip" piece of neckwear, but this is not a bad thing. If you've spent the time "manning-up" the rest of your wardrobe why stop at your knit ties, right? A 3" knit tie looks a little bloated at first glance thanks to a market saturated with knits as skinny as 1.5", but once some of that initial hesitation wears off and you knot one up you may never go back. The heft from a wider knit tie is really satisfying and looks great with a wider set collar, ultimately setting up what I think is a pretty classic Italian looking getup. Adding a little edge to your sportswear is a great way to set yourself apart from the GQ subscription crowd who are buying their ties at Uniqlo. Paul Stuart sells 3" knit ties for $69.50 as does old guy favorite, J. Press for a few bucks more. I can't get a specific read on J. Press' exact width, but I am going to assume that their pedigree alone should vouch for something close to 3" - since I don't want anyone telling me I am a liar because a recommended purchase turned out poorly (this has happened before) you might want to get hands on with the J. Press joints before "pulling the finger". Finally, if you live in NYC, head over to Bergdorf Goodman for their great private label ties (you probably want to look like Nick Wooster anyway). They have some killer wide knits that should be 50% off starting next week. For those of you who think 3" may be a little too wide, you can always check out Lands End for a healthy 2.75". Mister Crew, who was an integral part in the "research" behind this post, has some great images of wider knit ties here.

Headed to stockholm in a week and Rose & Born AKA the best mens store I've ever been to has exactly what you're looking for. I bought two last time - One pink and one purple with pink dots. You want me to hook it up?